A freight train derailment in southern New Jersey has caused a spill of vinyl chloride. Four tank cars were dumped into Mantua Creek, Paulsboro, on Friday and at least one of them is leaking the hazardous material, report local media.

Paulsboro residents are urged to stay indoors with windows and doors closed. A number of people in the immediate area have been evacuated, reports CBS.

Eighteen people are having difficulty breathing, according to the Gloucester County Times. Ambulances have been dispatched.

Firefighters and hazardous materials crews are working at the scene. Officials are trying to determine what the cars were carrying. The US Coast Guard has been notified as the chemical might be leaking into the Delaware River which is nearby.

It is not yet clear what exactly caused the derailment, but images from the scene show a train bridge collapsed while at least two cars plunged into the creek and one got hanging over a trestle. A shiny slick can be seen on the water.

The incident took place just after 7am local time (12pm GMT), Gloucester Office of Emergency Management confirms.

Paulsboro Borough with around 6,000 inhabitants is just over the river from Philadelphia. The area of the incident is described as very industrial though there are some homes as well as Paulsboro High School and Billingsport Elementary School. Roadways leading into the borough with are closed.

Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas with a sweet odor that is easily ignited. The federal Environmental Protection Agency lists the gas as a Group A human carcinogen. It is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and vinyl products. Short-term exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride in the air has an effect on the central nervous system and can cause drowsiness, dizziness and headaches.

Could be. A few years ago, we had to go to a town that a train derailed and put this in the air and it killed a dozen people. We had to walk and tag each house and business we checked, etc. It was terrible for us, and 100x worse for those that lived there. We spent a few days in that town in our hazmat gear.

Soon, we may witness the birth of... [This was a real movie by the way, that happened to take place in NJ.]

"When I was 12, I milked my eel into a pot of turtle stew. I flogged the one-eyed snake, I skinned my sausage. I made the bald man cry into the turtle stew, which I believe my sister ate. At least I hope she did."

Posting Permissions

PlayStation Universe

Copyright 2006-2014 7578768 Canada Inc. All Right Reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of Abstract Holdings International Ltd. prohibited.Use of this site is governed
by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.